Digitized Manuscripts: Faceted Search

About This Table

This table searches all collections of Syriac and Garshuni manuscripts that are freely available online by key terms. Click any of the categorized menu items to narrow down your search. If you would like to sort the manuscripts by shelf-mark or date, or search by general keyword, see our other table here, which includes all the same manuscript data.

*The Approximate Date column is derived from the best available information for the manuscript. This is not asserted as a scholarly position on the dating of the manuscript. Instead, it is merely used here for the convenience of being able to sort all manuscripts by numerical date. The user should keep in mind that there may be considerable debate over the precise dating of the manuscript and should consult the manuscript repository and relevant scholarly literature for details.

Manuscript Name / Shelf Mark / Project Number Approximate Date Language The main body text Link to Digitized Manuscript
Vat. sir. 497 1,900 CE Syriac

See entry in Voste

  • Binding
  • f. 2v Dedicatory note
  • f. 4v-17r John bar Penkaye, From the Creation to the Flood
  • f. 17r-32r John bar Penkaye, From the Flood until the destruction of Babel by Cyrus
  • f. 32v-50r John bar Penkaye, From the end of the captivity of the Jews until Antiochus
  • f. 50v-71r John bar Penkaye, The fulfillment of prophecies, the dissolution of Alexander's Empire, and the reign of Pacorus
  • f. 71r-86v John bar Penkaye, On demons and false gods
  • f. 86v-109r John bar Penkaye, On the books of the Old Testament: their content, doctrine, value, and their points of contact with the books of the New Testament
  • f. 109r-134 John bar Penkaye, Similar considerations to those of the previous section
  • f. 134r-152r John bar Penkaye, Following the previous section
  • f. 152r-167v John bar Penkaye, On the gods among different peoples
  • f. 168r-284v John bar Penkaye, History from the New Testament period to 686 CE
  • f. 284v-285v Colophon
BnF syr. 406 Unknown Syriac

John bar Penkaye, Book of the Main Events of the History of the Temporal World, Vol. 2

Harvard MS Syr 42 1,400 CE Syriac

Catalog Entry

  • Homilies of John Saba (ff. 1r-30v)
  • Chapter of knowledge by John Saba (30v-33r)
  • Fifty-one letters of John Saba (33r-67v)
  • Chapters of knowledge, nos. 2-6 (67v-86r)
  • Maxims by John bar Penkaye (86r-87v)
  • Discourse on What is man, by John bar Penkaye (87r-93v)
  • "Letters not found in the monastery copy" (93v-94v)
  • Selected sayings of Saba (94v-96r)
  • Short section by Bar Penkaye (96r-v)
  • Madrashe by the saint (96v-97v)
  • Memra on the trisagion by John Bar Penkaye (98r-101v)
  • Life of John bar Penkaye (101v-102v)
  • Selections from Evagrius, Gregory the Monk, Simeon the Monk, Basil, Philoxenus and John Chrysostom (102v-116v)
  • Apocalypse of Daniel (117r-122v)
  • Discourse of John of Mount Sinai on repentance (122v-125r), with a lacuna on f. 124v
  • unidentified memre (125r-v).
Vat. sir. 592 Unknown Syriac
  • Isaac of Nineveh, First book
  • Babai of Nisibis
  • Babai of Nisibis
  • Isḥāq Shbadnāyā, 'Onitha
  • Joseph Hazzaye
  • John bar Penkaye
Syriac 26. Ascetica 1,550 CE Syriac

Catalogs:

Contents (Same as Syriac 24):

  • Memra made by one of the monks seeking from one of his relatives about admonition and rules of good conduct of the body and soul
  • Useful Memre composed about the words of the wisdom of Solomon
  • John of Mosul: Commands and admonitions for the priest
  • John bar Penkaye: Memra
Syriac 40. Ascetica 1,531 CE Syriac

Catalogs:

​Contents:

  • Same title and contents as codex 24
  • Memra made by one of the monks seeking from one of his relatives about admonition and rules of good conduct of the body and soul
  • Useful Memre composed about the words of the wisdom of Solomon
  • John of Mosul: Commands and admonitions for the priest
  • John bar Penkaye: Memra